[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

So sorry this happened to you, Sheba.

There is evil in this world, unfortunately. I've been a victim myself more than once in other areas of life. Some people are full of guile and cunning, and think nothing of trying to destroy another person through unholy means. It's a sad fact of life in this world.

And I've known nurses who got fired for trumped-up reasons as well. One got reported to the BON and had to fight to keep his license for something that a sundowning resident said that he did--and about a year later, another nurse confessed to it. I was so mad that he never got his coworker off the hook and told the truth, that I quit. Never did see the other coworker again, but I do know he didn't lose his license.

So yeah, this stuff can and does happen. Just one more good reason to carry insurance.

[VickyRN]

The nursing profession, itself, is prone to victimization. Laws and statutes favor doctors, hospital administrators, and other powers-that-be. That is why the nurse must choose his or her working environment very, very carefully. Some places of employment are dangerous professionally, and full of unsavory politics. I actually warn my students to stay away from certain institutions or floors/ units that are "unsafe."

[Sheba817]

Originally Posted by Biffs25

I think it would have helped if you had taken the drug test...and if that didn't work, then I guess you should have been EXTRA careful to not get those medication errors during your probation period. Yes, mistakes happen, but apparently your rate of mistakes were high enough that it concerned people. frankly, if I were your patient, I would want you suspended also if you kept making medication errors. That could kill someone.

I hope it works out and you get to practice again, but please be careful!

I have NEVER made a med error which put a patients life at risk! I was employed with this facility for 56 days.......I don't feel 2 med errors are cause for this type of action.

Prior to working at this LTC facility I had worked for a OP dialysis unit. So most of my probated suspension was spent at the dialysis unit. My job performance was without error! The sad part of this entire journey is to get soooooooo close to being done with the board and being honest enough to even fill out a med error report

[payday]

Things like this make me wonder why I continue in nursing.

[LPN1974]

Originally Posted by Fun2Care

As a student, this frightens me too!

Can you work with your license suspended? Do you have a grace period to get it reissued or something, or are you immediately terminated from your employment?

I didn't see where anyone answered your question, so I wanted to tell you that no, you can't work with your license suspended.
If you have no license you have no nursing job.
I knew a nurse many years ago who worked at the job I am on right now, and she also had a part time job in a nursing home. She got caught shooting up stadol under her tongue, on the nursing home job, and got her license suspended there, immediately. She also lost her other job, which was her primary job.
I haven't heard from her in years. I don't know if she ever got them reinstated or not.

[Biffs25]

Originally Posted by Sheba817

I have NEVER made a med error which put a patients life at risk! I was employed with this facility for 56 days.......I don't feel 2 med errors are cause for this type of action.

Prior to working at this LTC facility I had worked for a OP dialysis unit. So most of my probated suspension was spent at the dialysis unit. My job performance was without error! The sad part of this entire journey is to get soooooooo close to being done with the board and being honest enough to even fill out a med error report

Coumadin was one of the meds you listed as not giving, which PROBABLY won't have any ill effect, but there is potential for ill effect if one of the other people you work with made the same mistake and the patient goes without his coumadin for a while. Do you feel that a DVT or PE are not life threatening, because I sure do. If the patient has chronic Afib he is ready to brew clots to send off to lungs or legs, etc. and could be lethal. Don't assume a dose or two is ok to miss.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Do you feel that a DVT or PE are not life threatening, because I sure do. If the patient has chronic Afib he is ready to brew clots to send off to lungs or legs, etc. and could be lethal. Don't assume a dose or two is ok to miss.

A-hem. If one of these patients is scheduled for surgery, they are taken off the coumadin for a few days, and taken into the OR based on their INR. So please give it a rest. It'd be much more dangerous if the missed drug was Vitamin K, IMO.

[dazzle256]

Originally Posted by chad75

No offense but I really don't think we are hearing the full story. To my knowledge unless you had a med error which caused a death or an adverse reaction I don't see why the hospital would report it to the BON, there just simply is no reason to. If they started doing that I guaurauntee the amount of reported med errors would drop to near zero lol.

Two missed doses being means for action on your license? Well I guess myself and 99.9 of the nurses on this board need to turn in our licenses.

I believe it. Unfortunately I've seen stuff like that happen. I almost had something similar happen to me. Long story but it started with the Dr starting an internal investigation to get me in trouble. This doctor had a strong dislike for me because I wouldn't put up with his b.s. ... but thats another story. Long story short he thought he got me on something .....didn't do his homework and the only person that ended up being put on suspension was his partner. I've seen trumped up charges on other nurses ... the worse I ever seen was a male nurse put up on sexual assault charges that I know he didn't do. This nurse not only lost his liecense he got jail time.

[mattsmom81]

Sadly all it takes is someone in power who gets a burr under their saddle and they can start a campaign against a nurse...if she cannot find something to get 'em on, they can fabricate something...take a kernel of truth and twist it...create paper trails. Between system problems that increase potential for errors, our human nature and our innate role, it is easy for witch hunts to take place in nursing and I've seen it happen too many times.

I've also seen doctors who run off good nurses too...because they stood up to them.

I've heard whispers in the nursing community: 'so-and-so voluntarily surrendered her license this week'. They were good nurses, tired of the BS and someone just rode them too hard and they walked away...sick of fighting the system.

Wish someone would do a study on this to support what I suspect goes on. Many of the nurses who surrender their license do so in total disgust at the system they work in, I suspect. They just are tired of fighting....they work so hard in an unsupportive environment, for so little respect, that one day its the last straw and they walk away.

Sheba, I hope you get a nurse attorney and appeal this...I would. Best wishes.

[RN4NICU]

Originally Posted by mattsmom81

Sadly all it takes is someone in power who gets a burr under their saddle and they can start a campaign against a nurse...if she cannot find something to get 'em on, they can fabricate something...take a kernel of truth and twist it...create paper trails. Between system problems that increase potential for errors, our human nature and our innate role, it is easy for witch hunts to take place in nursing and I've seen it happen too many times.

Unfortunately, this is a fairly common occurrence. I have seen these types of activities everywhere I have worked. Some places it was common, others it was rare, but I have yet to work in an environment that is entirely free from it. It is disgusting the way nurses treat one another sometimes. I would imagine their own idealism of "protecting the patients" is what helps them sleep at night. Personally, though, I wouldn't want anyone who behaved like that taking care of me or anyone I care about. Despite what they are able to think of themselves, they obviously DO NOT care about other people.